Clock Geass
by Nerdwithoutadate
Summary: Co-author: Star Sage. The same world; the same problems. But, instead of the power of absolute obedience, Lelouch is a Master of the Clock. He can bend the time around him to his will. And the story moves on from there.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a co-authored story with 4fireking. He is awesome and you need to go read his stories. _LIKE. FRICKING. RIGHT. NOW._**

 **I'll be writing the first half of the chapter and he'll be writing the second half. I don't know about updates.. but we'll try to update as regularly as possible.**

 **Please R it would really help us out! -smiles-**

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If Lelouch had to describe the feeling: it would be addicting.

Reality seemed just beyond his finger tips. It was as if he was a spectator. Only allowed to watch from afar. At the same time, it felt as if he held all the universe in the palm of his hands. Rather than being a spectator, he was inside the cage - facing the battle head on.

#

"Lulu? Lelouch?"

Lelouch snapped his head around to see Shirley standing there, her hand now an inch away from his face.

"Oh," he replied sheepishly. "Yes?"

Shirley frowned. "You weren't listening, were you?" Shirley didn't wait for a response as she walked away. She was immediately back in front of him, holding a sheet of paper out as well as a pen.

"The school needs President and Vice President need to sign this form. Milly has already signed it," Shirley told him.

Lelouch cautiously took it, eying her wearily. He began to look over it and quickly realized what it was.

He picked up the pen and began to sign it. "Why do they need twenty-five pounds of fireworks?" He asked. He handed the paper and pen back to her.

Shirley sighed. "There's a festival coming up," she explained.

Lelouch laughed. "How long away is this festival?"

The student council room's doors flew open. "Two weeks!" Milky announced as she pranced in.

#

In Lelouch's life, two weeks was a long ways away.

He had important stuff to do but he could forget about all of it to spend time at the festival. Lelouch however wasn't going to enjoy this festival. With the world the way it was he could expect not only fireworks in the sky but buildings crumbling to the ground.

#

"Two weeks?" Lelouch asked. "And I'm only hearing about it now?"

Milly and Shirley sighed in unison.

"Actually, Lelouch," Milly began. "We've been planning this for two months now."

Lelouch sat up straight. "What?!" He looked over to Shirley to see her nodding her head. "When?!"

Milly tapped her chin. "You've just been too busy doing gambling and sleeping! Seriously Lelouch, you need to get batter schedule."

Terrorism had started to become more heated. Entire buildings would be destroyed, hundreds losing their lives.

Lelouch smiled sheepishly. "I can't help it, I guess."

#

In this world, as more people grew happy and successful; another group had to grow despair and poverty.

#

"You're not going gambling today, are you?" Shirley inquired.

Lelouch looked sideways, "No.."

Shirley folded her arms and sighed. "Lulu..."

#

The gambling squares and buildings had started to become more successful in the recent years. People had nothing more to lose as much has people had nothing much more to gain.

#

"You're going to get hurt one day," Milly added. Shirley nodded her head in agreement.

#

The emperor only cared about himself. He took what he wanted and left behind no scraps.

 _###_

What the hell was wrong with the world today?

Lelouch knelt down by the girl's side, this strange girl who'd climbed out of the pod on the truck he'd just happened to fall into. Suzaku had died protecting her, and now, she'd died protecting him. Not that her protection had bought him more than a few seconds, as the soldiers in front of him stood there, that gloating grin on their faces, that superior attitude of the nobility and military, so much better than everyone else. Lelouch gritted his teeth, his arm close to where the girl lay, as he knelt by her side.

Suddenly she moved. Despite being shot in the head, despite the damage that had been done to her brain, she moved. Her arm leapt forward, and grabbed his wrist. Then the swirl of the day's events slowed down, and he heard in his ears a ticking sound, like some great celestial clock. The touch of her skin on his seemed to send lightning through his body, and slowly that ticking sound slowed, becoming thunderous as it tried to eek out just one more revolution, until everything seemed stopped, and he was adrift in some limbo state.

"Does your story end here? Is that the question you're thinking in the back of your mind?" came a voice in his head, the voice of the girl, and Lelouch stared at the infinite nothingness before him.

"What of your reason for living?" she asked, and Lelouch's mind went back to a single image, an image of his blind sister sitting in her chair.

"What would you do for the power to change this end? For the power to make the world you desire a reality?" she asked again, and Lelouch listened closely.

"I propose a deal. In exchange for the power I offer, you must agree to a contract, the only terms of which are that you use your power to fulfill my wish with the same determination you use to fulfill your own," suddenly the infinite voice seemed filled with people, people that looked like the girl, but then they vanished.

"Know that the power I offer, the Power of the King, is not to be taken lightly. It will change you, in ways that even I can only guess at. Fate will revolve around it, and your destiny will change. You will not be one of those who call themselves human, anymore, however. You will be alone. Such is the price of power," her voice echoed throughout the limbo, and Lelouch looked outward into it, and the infinity that stretched before him.

"What is your decision?" she asked, and Lelouch looked at her sternly as she came forward towards him out of that eternity.

"I accept the terms of your contract, and take the power into myself," he told her, and suddenly she passed into him, and he was back in the warehouse when he started, his hand hovering just beside the dead body of the girl, and in front of him, half a dozen soldiers, all holding guns at him. Giving her one glance, feeling the power buzzing inside him, Lelouch rose to his feet, facing the soldiers.

"The Power of the King," he said in a breathless tone, staring at them.

"Heh, so, you've said your goodbyes to the girl in this world, are you prepared to meet her again in the next now?" asked the leader of the soldiers, and Lelouch grinned at them, the look on his face causing them to pause for a moment, as he stood straight and tall, his full height bringing him almost to eye level with them.

"Tell me, you are so prepared to kill, but is it within you to die as easily?" he asked them, and the soldier gripped his gun harder, aiming it at Lelouch.

"What? Are you saying you think you can take my and I?" asked the soldier, and Lelouch let out a laugh.

"Take you? I, Lelouch Vi Britannia am every bit the equal to what you represent. Even should you fire, you will find me quite beyond you," he told them, and took a step forward. The soldier pulled his trigger, and a bullet flew through the air, straight and true, burying itself in Lelouch's chest, right into his heart, and his body telling him it was dead. However, before the soldier could gloat, before he could do anything, Lelouch rewound the clock, the seconds ticking forward reversed, and now he stood there before him, just as he pulled the trigger.

To this soldier, he seemed to dodge the first shot, easily stepping aside, and then another, and another, every step and motion bringing him closer, even as his body twisted in ways that truly seemed impossible. Finally, the soldier's clip ran dry, and only the hollow clicking of his gun echoed through the warehouse, as the kid walked right up to him, smirking. When the soldier reached behind him to pull out his rifle, the kid somehow caught him, using the motion to put the gun in his own hands, and then fire a single shot.

The other soldiers stood there, too stunned to move, as their leader looked down at his own chest, and the wound that was growing into a red puddle on his uniform. Before they could recover, Lelouch shot them as well, plugging each quickly, all with shots that seemed to find them no matter how they tried to dodge, so that, in the span of a single heartbeat, all six of the soldiers who had challenged a high school student, were dead at his feet, their blood leaking out onto the dirty floor, along with the bodies of a score of their previous victims.

Standing there, looking down at his handiwork, Lelouch moved his hand over his body, feeling only solid flesh, and untorn clothing where he'd been riddled with hundreds of bullets in the last few seconds. Every mistake though, every wasted motion, was rewound, and he was given a second chance. Looking down at the corpses, he realized what he was now. He was the Master of the Clock, able to do over things he had gotten wrong the first time. He felt at his power within himself, and knew he had limits, limits that were growing, but still, they would hamper him for some time to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**I am now co-authoring this story with: Star Sage. Though I will be still discussing this story with 4fireking.**

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Lelouch was focused inward for a few minutes, letting his brain probe itself, finding the limits of his powers. It was in the middle of this, that reality intruded on him again, and he started as the wall in the rear of the warehouse literally exploded inward. The vision of a Knightmare then slid into the room, the head opening up to scan things. It was only then that Lelouch realized he was still carrying the gun he'd used on the officers. That gun was his undoing, as the pilot, without a thought, raised the unit's hand, and began to fire at him.

Rewinding to seconds before, Lelouch threw the weapon away, letting it clatter to the ground in some far off corner, while he stooped down beside the girl's body again. His mind went over every possibility, and he realized that, no matter how many do overs he had, there was no way a person of his martial skills would be able to take a Knightmare on foot. The best thing to do would be to play a role, to get the person inside the unit to trust him, and come out, so he forced his body to start shuddering, making it look for all the world like he was crying.

As before, the wall blasted apart a second later, and he heard the unit slide to a stop just inside the warehouse. It stopped there, and one could hear the whirring noise as it opened its sensors, the scanner going over every section of warehouse, before it focused on him. Still trying to look like he was sobbing, he reached out a hand towards the green haired girl before him, and strangely, he felt sorrow for her. Or possibly for himself, as she would know more about this power than him, and would have been able to held.

"Boy! What is the meaning of this? What happened here?" demanded the voice of the Knightmare's pilot over the speakers. A woman? That was rare, thought Lelouch to himself as he slowly tried to turn, still making his body shudder, and being sure to keep his face down, trying to act the part of a regular student who was confronted with this carnage around him.

"I-I-m-my gi-i-i-rlfriend and I, we were out on a date, when all the sirens went off and these Elevens came out of no where and grabbed us and then she's dead!" he shouted the last, trying to make his voice crack, even as he fell to his knees, making sure to keep his head down.

"Tch! Blasted savages," she said. Then on the right arm a circular blade slid out of the top of the wrist. "What about the soldiers; what happened to them?" she asked.

"They, they came out to protect us. They were trying to save us, but one of the Elevens got a weapon and they all, oh gods, they're all dead," he said the last breathlessly, and it seems his act worked, as the Knightmare's cockpit opened, and the woman inside got out. He could hear her boot steps on the ground, but was surprised when he heard the click of a gun. Looking up through his hair, he could just barely see her face, while trying to keep her from seeing his. It seemed she was going to shoot him.

"Alright, on your feet," she said, and grabbed his collar. As she pulled him upwards, he swung up at her. His fist had the leverage of her pull and his own strength behind it, but all it did was tap her chin as she dodged the blow, driving her backwards. She then aimed and quickly shot him, burying the bullets deep into his knees, crippling him. Feeling the hot sting of led in his body for the thousandth time in that hour, Lelouch rewound his world, and then was back the second before she had grabbed him.

This time when she pulled, he changed his stance, driving his fist hard into her face, and causing her body to stumble as the brain shut down. Unfortunately, she still let out a shot, driving a bullet into his shoulder. Another chance, and this time the bullet went into his chest, piercing a lung. In the end, it took ten tries to get it where she was knocked out, without her counterstroke even touching him, and looking down at her body, he had to admit a grudging admiration for the well trained woman.

"Heh, not bad, for a woman," he said, and then rifled through her pockets. Quickly he pulled out her control key for the Knightmare, and he relieved her of the gun as well. It was far more useful to one of his status than the rifles of the common soldiers. Idly, he toyed with the idea of just killing the woman, but then decided against it. Killing in battle was one thing, killing someone like this, when they weren't a threat, was quite another. Instead, he made his way to the Knightmare and got into the control cockpit.

Quickly, he began furiously typing, entering code after code, and seeing the red flash of denial on the screen. Still, with unlimited guesses, it didn't take him more than a moment from the world's perspective, and he turned the engine of the mighty weapon to power. Using the controls, he was easily able to guide the thing out of the warehouse, and make his way towards the battle in the distance.


	3. Chapter 3

**Again, this lovely chapter was written by Star Sage. Enjoy~!**

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Getting to the battlefield was easy; he just had to follow the sound of explosions, shouting, and dying. At the same time he quickly began to run through the codes for decrypting Britannian radio transmissions. Always so arrogant they were, never changing the codes, or altering anything so long as it has always worked for them in the past. Well, he'd make them pay for that arrogance today. So he looked, listened, and waited, letting his mind take in the whole of the battlefield.

It seemed the terrorists, freedom fighters, or whatever else you might choose to call them, were holding poorly against the military. Oh, there was a victory here or there, mostly wherever that Glasgow was, but everywhere else they were being forced back. Clovis' military advisor was mostly just throwing his weight around though. No strategy, no talent, just hit them hard with overwhelming force. It worked, when you had such an advantage in power, but he was about to change that.

"Glasgow pilot, I'm going to need you to listen to me carefully if you want to win this battle," he said into his comm, and then heard a reply. Another woman, how interesting. Still, he told her what to do, and even saved her to prove his point, shooting one of the pursuing Sutherlands just before her unit could be taken down. With his help, she soon stopped a train full of reinforcements, and they gathered together their forces at that point, with the Elevens now possessing equal firepower to the Britannians.

"Now, the game can really begin," he said to no one, and began to direct his pieces. One or two Elevens objected to his commands, but he didn't care. They were his pieces, and they would move how he told them. It helped that he had superior intelligence on the enemy, directing fire and forces where they would do the most good. Setting traps, giving ground, funneling the enemy into kill boxes, these were all basics moves of warfare, and he made them deadly, as he tore apart Clovis' forces, whittling them down farther and farther, until finally only Clovis' personal guard remained.

He had hoped that those few would be sent out, two Sutherlands and a handful of infantry. It would have made it easy to get close to that foolish half brother of his, demand to know who had killed his mother, crippled Nunnelly all those years ago. Those forces stayed put, however, and a single blip entered his screen. That blip resolved into an odd machine, white in color, and with a speed unmatched by any Knightmare Lelouch had ever seen. In seconds it was tearing into his line, ripping apart those idiot Elevens.

This was impossible. He'd been directing the Elevens for an hour now, decimating the forces of that fool Clovis, and now they were losing to a single unit? How?! No, he understood how. This was real battle, not just a chess match. This was the human factor, playing out before him. Still, he had one advantage over those below him. Smirking, he rewound time, though he found he couldn't go as far back as he might want, he still got to the point just after the unit had appeared on the battlefield.

"That's a new Britannian Knightmare! You must retreat, now!" he shouted into his comm, trying to sound concerned for these fools.

"What are you talking about? We've got this guy outnumbered twenty to one!" shouted back one of the Elevens, the same one that kept questioning his orders before. Idly, he toyed with telling the idiot to help them buy time, but he decided it wasn't worth it, and instead pulled out his own Sutherland's weapon, and began to fire in front of the unit. Like before, it dodged everything he threw at it, but Lelouch wasn't about to be denied, and kept resetting time until he finally got in a lucky hit, the unit landing just where he was shooting, causing it to fall back slightly.

"It's out of your league, so you can either lose those new machines, or you can run to fight another day, your choice," said Lelouch, and he heard growling from over his comm, before the ones below began to finally fall back. They weren't fast enough, however, three of the former foreguard, now rearguard units were caught, and they were too close. He couldn't get a good angle through them at the unit, and he got to watch as the thing work on them, ripping them apart, and forcing the pilots to eject, even as their fellows, seeing the power of this new enemy, hastened their retreat.

"Damn it!" shouted Lelouch, those were his pieces, his only resources in a war he knew he was sorely outgunned in. He needed every blade, and couldn't waste them. Enraged, he screamed bloody murder, and fired on the unit. The fire struck the shields in the White Knightmare's arms, which stopped every bullet cold. It then turned to face him, twin sensors in the unit's shoulders popping open. Lelouch was then startled as the thing shot upward at him, using the anchors to scale the building he was hiding in within ten heartbeats, and then standing in front of him.

"No you don't!" said a familiar voice, but Lelouch barely heard it, as he had to move like a madman, his hands flying over his controls, trying to keep his Sutherland always on the move, always out of reach. It was hard, and he had to reset every few moves just to keep up with the thing. Worse, even with his reset power, he couldn't do any damage to it. The unit wasn't just stronger than his Sutherland, almost invincible in comparison, but worse, it was faster, and the pilot was just so much better than Lelouch.

Every shot was dodged, every punch blocked by the enemy's hands. Nothing he did could turn the tide here. This was madness, even when he reset, he found the every move he made was countered. Still, the other unit found him just as invincible. No hit could land solidly, no shot could touch the Sutherland, and worst of all, even though he was being driven back, there was no wall that he could be stopped by. So they were in a stalemate for what felt like days, and Lelouch found his head pounding as he kept having to reset.

"Hey, shiny!" shouted the female pilot through her Glasgow's external speakers, interrupting the intricate dance of the other two units. Somehow, despite her Knightmare's obsolescence, she was able to drive the two of them apart, collapsing part of the ceiling, and then grabbing Lelouch's Sutherland, and then dragged it wit her out of the building, jumping to a nearby one, and leaving the White Knightmare behind.

"Come on, everyone else got out thanks to your distraction," she told him, and Lelouch started a bit. He hadn't been the distraction, had he? He'd just been angry, and wanted this fool dead. Yet, he could see how that sort of reputation was useful, and as he heard the telltale thudding of anchors in concrete, he knew he had a legend to start building.

"No, Q1, your unit is too damaged to get out while helping me. You run now, I'll at least slow this guy down. You run with the others, I'll contact you again on this frequency when it comes time to get back together," he told her, quickly typing out a frequency, before pushing her away. She seemed to hesitate, her unit wobbling on one side, but after staring at him for a few moments, she shot off, her Glasgow, despite its damage, moving almost as agilely as the White Knightmare.

Not that Lelouch didn't already have a plan. The White Knightmare didn't have a separate control cockpit. That was obvious from the design. That indicated it lacked an ejection system. Probably made it stronger than most units, but it was also a flaw in it made the pilot less willing to sacrifice the machine, knowing that would mean he would be going down with it. Smirking, Lelouch had just finished programing the Sutherland's control system when the White Knightmare finally came over the rubble of the building.

"There you are!" shouted the pilot, diving for him, and Lelouch just let him come, opening his arms wide. Just as the White Knightmare struck, the Sutherland shot forward, wrapping its arms around the thing, as Lelouch pulled the lever that launched his escape pod away. The pilot of the White Knightmare probably wondered just what was going on, right up until the energy filler in the Sutherland whined loudly enough to be heard over the whole area, and then exploded with the force of a rather large bomb, the explosion consuming both units in an orgy of fire and death.

Half an hour later, Lelouch was looking over the ruins of the city at Clovis' land base. The thing was sitting there, defended by far too many eyes, and worse, far too many guns for him to take out. Oddly, he spotted the white unit being dragged back towards the formation, and they scrambled around the pilot as he was drawn out, indicating he was obviously still alive. Idly, Lelouch played with the idea of getting closer, sneaking his way into Clovis' personal chamber, and getting what he wanted out of the idiot.

Then he gave up on that fantasy. He wanted information. He wanted to know who had killed his mother and hurt Nunnally. But he would only give his life if he knew those answers, and more importantly, his revenge, would be guaranteed. Clovis might not know anything, and he'd be throwing his life away for nothing. No, today had been a good day, he had the core of an army now, the start of his revenge. For now, that was going to be enough, and toying with a queen in his hand, he considered what he would do when he contacted them again.


	4. Chapter 4

The day was starting well. He'd been up for far too long last night, but he'd convinced the staff that it was just him being a lazy aristocrate, not the reality of what he'd been doing. Said doing had been gambling, with higher stakes, and higher rewards, than even he had ever gotten before. Smiling, he looked over towards the corner of his bedroom, and gazed on the three briefcases he had stacked there. No clothing or documents in those. No, contained in each was enough money to last almost anyone else a lifetime.

Getting ready for class, he dressed himself, refusing the advances of one of the maids to dress him. It wouldn't do to have the help see the bruises he still bore from the Shinjuku incident three days previous, after all. He wasn't sore though, and didn't see them as wounds. They were investments, one's whose dividends would be paid in full when the time came. Still, he did wince once or twice as he put on his tight uniform, before finally leaving his room and resuming what would be his normal day.

Over the last three days, Lelouch had settled into a routine. For the morning, spend it recovering from the night's fun, either gambling on dice or the roulette, or even a race or two, rewinding himself until he won. Better yet, there were some stock brokers who did business at night, and while that was harder, all he had to do was watch how they flowed for a few minutes, and he'd be able to take advantage of any shifts in the market at the drop of a hat. In three nights, he'd made more than he had in all the years before.

Better yet, the afternoons were spent studying his new abilities, learning their ins, outs, and how they worked. He visualized his power as an hourglass in his mind. The glass had no sand up top, but when untouched, it slowly gathered sand in the bottom. Each grain, a single second of time. For the first five, those little grains of gold would drop one right after another, in flow with real time, after that, they slowed, only one grain, one second saved, for every minute of real time that passed.

Not that he couldn't save it up. Somehow, he just knew that hourglass of his was infinite, it could hold all the grains of sand that time could give. Better, his five free grains, the ones that flowed with time, were up from before. He had started with just three seconds that were at a 1:1 ratio, and now had almost twice that, after only three days. Given even a few weeks, he felt he might be able to get a minute or more of saved up time, and beyond that. What would happen when whole years of rewinding were open to him? The thought of it all made him smirk, as he gazed out the window through his hand, imagining it holding the whole world in his palm.

"Lelouch, please, we're in the middle of a test. Even if you yourself have given up, it would behoove you to not interfere with your classmates," said the teacher, and Lelouch almost shouted at him, telling him to be quiet. Then he remembered where he was, and what he had intended on doing today. Still smirking, he rose from his seat, walking up to the desk, which caught the teacher so off guard, he didn't even try to hide the answer sheet to the test that was sitting on his desk.

"What, what is the meaning of this Mr. Lamperouge?" demanded the old man, and Lelouch punched him, hard enough that he felt the bones in his own hand break along with the idiot's jaw. The whole class, watching the exchange, was silent for several moments, giving the Prince enough time to gaze down at the answers to the test. Memorizing them at a glance, he closed his eyes, and spun the hourglass in his mind, letting those precious little grains fall through it. The world leapt backwards, as ten grains, saved up from last night, fell, and he was back at his desk.

"Lelouch, please, we're in the middle of a test," began the old man at the desk, and before he could get farther, Lelouch reached down, picked up his pencil, and then jotted down the answers while barely looking at the paper.

"A test that I can complete in my sleep, Professor, thanks to your teachings," he said with a warm smile on his lips, getting everyone in the class to stare at him. The old man harrumphed at the seeming condescension in his voice, and rose from his seat. Walking ponderously towards the desk where Lelouch sat, he grabbed the paper, and quickly went over it, muttering to himself about impertinent youths. Of course, the muttering changed in tone as he went through the test paper, finally smiling as he got to the end.

"Not bad, young man," he told him, carrying the test back to his desk, and letting Lelouch resume his gazing outside. He was getting better with his power. That had used up only ten of the twelve grains of sand he'd saved. Better yet, four more soon joined them. Yes, he was getting stronger. It would only be a matter of time until he had his revenge. He then chuckled at the little joke he made, before leaning back in his chair and waiting for everyone else to finish the test.

"Alright, pencils down," he told them what felt like an eternity later. He didn't take long to collect all the papers, before setting them to the side of his desk, while gesturing towards the door. Unexpectedly, someone came into the room. A girl, about the same age as everyone else in the room, perhaps a year or so older, with dull red hair, combed down, and looking rather pale as she strode into the room with a weak gait.

"Class, I waited until after the test to introduce our new student, so her first memory of our fine institution wouldn't be negative. I hope you'll join me in showing the same care to her," he told them, a vague sounding threat in his voice, as he stood next to the young woman.

"This is Kallen Stadtfeld. She's been rather ill for the last few months, and unable to attend classes. Our Academy has agreed to take her on mid-semester, and we know our student body will do their best to make her feel welcome," he told them, the last sounding exactly like a threat. Not that anyone really needed the motivation. Ashford Academy was used to the odd events shaking the campus, considering their class president and her need to get everyone involved in one hair brained scheme or another. They all smiled warmly at the girl, who bowed in proper Britannian fashion.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said, and suddenly, Lelouch's eyes went wide. That tone was different, and it lacked the distortion of a radio, but it was the same person he'd heard before, when he was in the Sutherland. The Glasgow pilot, Q-1.

"Oh, she's so cute," said one of the girls in the class, and suddenly half of them got up to talk to her. The teacher, satisfied by this, returned to his desk and began to grade papers, no one remembering Lelouch's odd behavior with his own test. Meanwhile, Lelouch just stared. He was sure of it, that voice, it was the same. But he had to confirm it, he had to know if she really was the one. He smirked as he got up, pushing his way toward the from of the class, and standing right in front of the young woman, holding out his hand.

"Hello, Kallen was it?" he said, smiling as she shook his palm. She tried to weakly smile back, only to feel his grip tighten suddenly, the smile on his face wiped away as his eyes got very dark.

"Q-1, what are you doing here?" he asked, and her eyes went wide. Her other hand whipped out, so fast Lelouch barely saw it, as her fingers closed on what looked like a wallet, only for a rather wicked looking knife to pop out of one side.

"What did you call me?" she asked, her demure, sickly attitude dropping away. That being all the confirmation he needed, Lelouch stepped back six seconds, returning to himself as he took her hand, shaking it as gently as possible.

"I hope you like it here at Ashford, and be sure to ask myself, or any other member of the student council for help if you need it. We're always here for our fellow students," he said warmly, and he got a weak nod from her in return, before he let go of her hand, and marched off towards the door, no one paying attention to him as they began to ask questions of the girl. Questions whose answers he knew to be lies, as she spoke of her illness. This was growing far more interesting as the clock kept ticking onward.

Watching her throughout the day showed Lelouch an interesting picture. The girl was so quiet, so demure, never raising her voice, never moving with determination or assuredness. Yet she never wasted a motion either. She was like a well put together clockwork doll, with every piece moving in perfect precision. Only twice did he see her slip. Once, when she knocked her book off her desk, she snatched the thing from the air without thinking, her eyes darting around to see if anyone was watching, and he even rewound a bit, just to prevent her from seeing him notice.

The second time was far more interesting. One of the boys, a jerk from the upper class, was yelling at an Eleven who ran a food cart that sometimes came to campus to ply her trade. The thing was typically of good enough quality to pass, but today it seemed that the jerk was lacking in pocket change, and still wanted his ice cream. His yelling at the woman nearly made Lelouch go over and smack, just to shut the annoying man up, and keep the woman he was harassing from crying in that annoying accented English of hers.

Kallen beat him to the punch. Not literally either. Instead she walked over, still looking sick as always, and seemed to pass straight by the guy. Only, just as she walked up to him, her leg shot out, tripping him up, and causing the moron to fall forward as she twisted her leg. Trying to play it off as an accident, she proceeded to drop her bag right onto his crotch, making the fool groan in a most amusing way, and when he raised his voice to her, Kallen's followers made him acutely aware of her illness, and shamed him into running off.

"Quite the clever move, Q-1," he complimented her, returning to his own studies thereafter. Of course, he was then ordered by Milly to bring the young woman to the clubhouse where the student council met. Sighing, wondering just what that foolish girl was planning, he did as he was told like a good little puppet. Kallen, of course, objected, but Lelouch made it clear to her it wasn't his idea, and Milly would punish him if he didn't bring her back. That line, of someone being punished for her, seemed to strike a chord with Kallen, a thought Lelouch decided to store away until later.

"Surprise!" shouted everyone the instant they stepped foot in the clubhouse, startling Kallen, and forcing Lelouch to catch her. The others got a laugh out of it as they stood back up, and Milly insisted that Lelouch, as her escort, be the one to introduce her around.

"Oh, right, well, this lovely lady is Milly Ashford, her grandfather is in charge around here, so if you ever need help getting out of trouble, go to her," he explained, and for some reason, Milly seemed to enjoy the rather frank description.

"That over there is the only other male member of the Student Council, Rivalz Cardemonde, he's the opposite, go to him if you want help getting into trouble," explained Lelouch.

"Hey, who's the one who gets me to drive him all over town to find card games?" demanded the black haired boy, but everyone just laughed as they moved on.

"This red headed vision is Shirley Fenette, she's the perky one of us, and the one we use to make announcements we know won't go over well, since the student body won't backlash against her," he said this with a bow in her direction, and got Shirley to blush almost as deep red as her hair.

"Lulu! Don't...don't say things like that," she insisted, again getting a round of laughter.

"Over here is Nina Einstein, our smartest member, and probably on her way to the smartest person in the world," he gestured towards her, and Nina, blushing almost as much as Shirley, curtseyed to Kallen.

"Last, but certainly not least, is my own personal vision of heaven, my little sister, Nunnally," as he spoke, he walked over towards his sister, sitting in her wheelchair, her eyes closed.

"Oh, Lulu, you know I'm only in the middle school group, so I'm not really a part of the Student Council yet," protested the young lady.

"Ah, that's okay Nun, we've already decided that you're an Honorary Member, and that doesn't have a minimum age requirement," said Rivalz.

"And with Ms. Stadtfeld, that gives us seven members, isn't that lucky?" declared Milly, getting some dumbfounded looks from Lelouch and Kallen herself.

"What are you talking about Milly?" demanded Lelouch.

"You know the rules Lulu. Everyone in school has to be part of at least one of the school clubs, and since Kallen is joining us mid-semester, she's not going to have an easy time with any of that, especially if she relapses. So, why not bring her into our Student Council? We don't care about attendance, at least when you have a reason, and if you do miss a meeting, there's really no harm in it, right?" answered the Student Council President with a rather dry smirk on her face.

"I suppose that makes sense, but you could have asked her about it first, and maybe warned me," counter Lelouch, but Milly was already moving on, passing out drinks, some fruit thing, while insisting everyone eat up from the tray that Nunnally brought in with her. When the snacks were done, they decided to retire to the watching room, where there was a TV large enough that they could see it no matter where they were in the huge room.

"Lelouch, you called this place your clubhouse before, but it seems bigger than the school itself," asked Kallen as she took a seat.

"Well, it's actually the Ashford's on campus residence. Nunnally and I live here, along with the President and a few others, as the Ashfords have been kind enough to give us a place to stay while we're at school," he explained, as Rivalz went through the channels, skipping over a few shows, cartoons, and finally stopping as there was a sight of several military men in uniforms standing at some kind of cordon.

"-number in the thousands. Even those unfortunate Elevens lucky enough to escape the carnage were not without wounds, as their homes, their lives, and even their families have been torn apart," the announcer said, the image shifting from the military men to a sight of hundreds of refugees being herded along like cattle towards a row of vehicles in the distance.

"Prince Clovis, Viceroy of Area Eleven would like to assure our viewers that the Elevens are being taken to a secure facility so they can receive proper treatment in case the poison gas infected them, as well as hopefully find gainful employment elsewhere," again, another shift, this to a static photo of the Prince, smiling and waving at something out of view.

"Statements released by the Prince's guard says that the attack itself was carried out by a terrorist group of Elevens who somehow believed that the residence of Shinjuku, a formerly prosperous section of the city, were receiving better treatment than the rest. Sadly, these terrorist were able to escape despite the military's best efforts," as she spoke, Lelouch looked out of the corner of his eye at Kallen, who was sitting far enough back that no one saw her. She looked torn between sorrow at the image, and anger at the words, her face a confusing mixture of emotions.

"Ah, here, we have photoage of the one responsible for the escape of the terrorists, one Private Suzaku Kururugi, an Honorary Britannian. He is expected to face charges, and possible execution, for his poor response to the events," as this was spoken, once again, the view shifted, showing Suzaku, a Suzaku that Lelouch had seen shot just three days previous, being led in handcuffs towards a military transport, with a shouting crowd around him throwing bottles and trash, as he was led away.

"Oh, Lelouch, is it true, was that Suzaku just now?" asked his sister, her face one of concern, despite her eyes being shut due to her blindness.

"No, Nunnally, it wasn't our Suzaku, it couldn't have been him," he told her, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Then he remembered the powers the girl had given him. Perhaps, maybe, Suzaku had something as well? Even if he did though, he wasn't going to survive an execution, and that wouldn't do. Lelouch owed him, without Suzaku that idiot would have gunned him and that girl down in the tunnels. No, he had a debt there. Making an excuse, he begged off the rest of the day, and began to prepare for the night ahead.


	5. Chapter 5

**Co-author: Star Sage**

 **Read and enjoy, I guess.**

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"You're sure this is where the message said to meet up, right?" asked Shinichiro, looking around. He felt so naked outside of his Sutherland, which sat with the others against the back wall while they waited in this warehouse.

"I'm sure of it, I triple checked the map and everything," answered Ohgi, who took a few moments to check the gun that he held in his hand. Behind them, still in her Glasgow, Kallen grunted. It had been her the message had been directed, and the guy on the other end of the line had known her name, where she was, and what she was doing when he called. How was a good question, after all, he couldn't have had cameras all over Ashford, could he? If he did, what did that say about this mysterious man and his resources.

"Man, it's almost seven now, I say we ditch this place. We've been here nearly an hour. Do you know how much damage we could have done to the Britannians in that time?" complained Shinichiro, scratching the back of his head as he held his gun rather loosely in his grip. Ohgi wanted to chid him for the lack of discipline, but bit his tongue. Shin and the rest were nominally under his command, but he knew his position as leader was tenuous right now, what with the events of Shinjuku.

"We told him we'd meet him here at seven sharp, Shin, and that's what we'll do. If he shows up, we listen to him, if he doesn't, well, we've only lost some time," said Kallen over the speakers of her Knightmare. Shinichiro continued to moan for a bit, but then suddenly shut up, as a laugh echoed over the open floor. Guns were gripped tightly, the clicking of chambers and rounds as they pointed at the source of the sound, a man in a lavish looking costume with a cape, his face covered completely by a flat surfaced black mask.

"So, this is why you were so at a loss without my aid the other day," came that voice, the same voice that had come out over the radio in Shinjuku. Everyone stared at him, Shin growling at the man as he aimed his gun more precisely at the head of the intruder.

"Oh yeah, you want to come down here and say that?!" he demanded, and somehow, the man did just that, leaping from the rafters and landing like a trained acrobat, right in front of the fool, who fell backwards. Wore, as he landed, he tore the gun from his hand, hefting it upwards, and then tossing it aside, like it was nothing.

"If you failed to protect this warehouse from my intrusion, with more than a dozen of you here, then you are truly a lost cause," the masked man told him, a chuckle to his voice.

"I'll admit, it's impressive that you got in here without any one of us noticing, but that doesn't give you the right to mock us," said Ohgi, continuing to point his rifle at the masked man, and then jerking it towards the Glasgow behind him, which moved to aim its weapon at him.

"Heh, you would turn the weapons I helped you save against me for a bit of fun? Perhaps you are not the people I thought you were," commented the masked man, whipping out his hands to either side, opening the cape behind him, and grabbing something that had apparently been hanging off it.

"Still, perhaps you are. I asked you to come here with those weapons for one purpose. Do you know of Suzaku Kururugi?" asked the masked man, pulling a briefcase out from the folds of his cape.

"Yeah, he's one of those honorary Britannian jerks in the military, he's gonna get his now, all because he failed to singlehandedly stop us from escaping," shouted Shin, and the masked man turned towards him, causing Shin to start a bit, and then freeze.

"Yes, he's a soldier in the Britannian Army, a man who works for your enemy, and yet, he is one of you, one of the Japanese to whom this land truly belongs," the last was shouted so everyone in the warehouse could hear him, and he even got a few shouts back saying things like 'hell yes' or 'damn straight'.

"Would it be right to allow those people to execute him, to kill him simply because he is an easy target for their shame? What do you think the response would be to him escaping, to the Japanese showing their fellows that even those who might fight on the wrong side, are still their brothers?" this was asked while the masked man swept his arms out to the side, spinning in place, as if to ask the whole room that question on a personal level.

"A nice dream, but I've seen the group they're getting to escort him. Jeremiah Gottwald and his purebloods. They're not going to be easy to beat at the best of times, and you can bet they're going to have a lot of backup, maybe even Prince Clovis' personal guards. Against those kind of odds, we'd need a miracle to have any chance of winning," he told the man, and got a chuckle in response. The masked man then did an odd thing, tossing the briefcase just right so that it landed in front of where Ohgi stood, popping open, and letting a few of the contents spill out in front of him.

"Knightmare IFFs?" said Ohgi, as he leaned down and picked one up. It was the same as those in the stolen Knightmares, except this one had the royal seal stamped into it.

"Yes, these belong to the Knightmares being driven by Jeremiah's forces tonight. I present you my miracle," he said, and everyone in the warehouse gasped at the statement.

"Assemble your forces with me, the Knightmare pilots who choose to stand for right and justice in this black world. When you have proven to have the proper will, I'll give you my plan for rescuring Kururugi, and beginning the ressurection of Japan," he told them, walking out the warehouse door, and then slamming it shut behind him. This left only silence in the warehouse itself, as everyone considered what had been said, and what would need to be done to prepare for the evening.

OoOoO

"Alright, we're willing to listen to your plan, Mr…?" said Ohgi a few minutes later, after some heated discussion amongst the group.

"Zero. I have let go of who I was before, and embraced the emptiness that is the beginning of all things. From this name, Zero, I shall grow into someone new," he told them as he was let back inside the warehouse.

"Well, Mr. Zero, we've agreed to follow you, for now, but some of us are wondering, why won't you show us your face? You're Japanese too, right?" he asked, and for some odd reason, that set Zero to laughing again.

"I'm neither Britannian, nor Japanese, nor even human anymore. I have taken it upon myself to become something more. I care for this land for the same reason as any of my kind do. There is oppression, there is horror, and there is death. This is a land long ruled by honor, tradition, and glory that it has forgotten. As a champion of Freedom, a beacon of Truth and Justice, I shall shine my light upon this land, and it shall burn away the foulness of this life, and hopefully show the world what more they can be," he declare, somehow the way he stood, that cape wrapped around him making his words echo all the more.

"Pretty words, but I suppose that means you're not going to show us your face, huh?" asked Ohgi, scratching the back of his head.

"No, no I am not. It is best if one such as I remain faceless. If such a thing is given a human face, it will be diluted, it will become something lesser to the eyes of the people," he said, and then marched over towards the Sutherlands, inspecting them with his eyes, before reaching out a hand to one, and rubbing the joint.

"The condition of these machines is adequate for what we will face, but since you've had them for four days now, I take it you lack the tools to repair them properly," commented Zero, and Ohgi nodded.

"Yes, it's hard to come by Knightmare parts, and those that we do find tend to be far more expensive than we can afford," Ohgi told the man bluntly.

"Hmm, and your lack of funds means you can do little for the refugees in the Shinjuju evacuation camp. All you can do is sit here, and watch them suffer," this was said to no one in particular, but some of the people just looked down at the floor at the statement, wishing they could do more. Shin, however, growled again, and took a step forward.

"Are you trying to put us down again? Yeah, we're broke, what of it 'Zero'?!" demanded the fool, saying the masked man's chosen name like it were an insult. Ohgi was about to tell him to shut his mouth when Zero spun around. Suddenly, in his hand was another briefcase, this one thrown towards Shin, causing the idiot to stumble backwards as if he expected it to explode. It did, in a way, because as it landed, the latch came undone, and the thing popped open so that bills, hundreds of pound sterling notes, came spilling out onto the floor at Shin's feet.

"I was merely making certain you could make use of this gift from my...'backers'. If all you would have used it on were yourselves, it would be a waste, but if you truly care for the Japanese, you can do far more with that than just fix up a few Knightmares," he told them, and everyone stared even worse than when he had tossed the first briefcase. This was...it was a fortune and a half. All of them together wouldn't have seen a tenth as much money in their whole lives, and this Zero had tossed that amount to them as casually as anything.

"Now then, Ohgi, come with me, and we'll discuss the details of my plan," said Zero, and numbly, Ohgi followed, staring at the back of this man who claimed to be nothing, but seemed to hold the answers to every prayer they had ever spoken.

The procession moved down the street slowly, the cheering crowds around them. Jeremiah was in his element here, standing proud and tall, a sword in his hands, while around him his knights, purebloods one and all, moved in locked formation, far better than any of the filthy Elevens could ever hope to. Looking around, waving to a few of the children, he a made mental note to thank that idiot reporter sometime. The man was truly as good as they said, and he'd packed the streets with loyal citizens, not a single neighsayer in the bunch.

"Lord Jeremiah, we have a contact," said a voice in his earpiece, and still smiling, the man's orange colored eyes scanned the scene, even as he placed his finger next to his ear to push the thing in better, so he could hear more clearly.

"Confirm control, what do you have for me?" he asked.

"It's that red Glasgow from Shinjuku the other day. It's alone, and seemed to be dragging something towards the procession," said his subordinate, and Jeremiah's smile became positively electric with excitement. He'd hoped to see that one again, after they'd shot him down.

"Excellent, let it through, everyone else, stop here," he ordered, and the procession, six Sutherlands and the transport car stopping. The sudden jerk caused a grunt from his prisoner, and he turned an eye behind him, to make sure that Kururugi was still secure. Around them, the crowd slowly fell into a hush as they waited, not knowing what was going on. He ignored them, however, and merely listened for the sound of the approaching Knightmare, watching as it slid down the road towards him, towing some trailer behind it.

Oddly, he noticed something else as it came closer. There was a man riding in its hands. Well, he assumed it was male, anyway, giving the wire thin frame and rather gaudy clothing the person was wearing. Any woman he knew would rather be shot than be seen in public wearing attire that was as ridiculous as this guy's, being a mask that covered his face with a smooth black oval, and a cap that seemed to be able to wrap around him like some kind of cocoon, which he currently was allowing to do just that, rather than have it flap freely behind him.

"Lord Jeremiah, it's good to see you made our rendezvous so punctually," said the man, his voice coming over the Glasgow's speakers, allowing everyone in the crowd to hear him talk.

"Heh, well, I've never been accused of being tardy before," quipped Jeremiah back at him, stepping forward from his position, so he could stare more closely at this caped person. Said person was soon lowered to the ground by the Glasgow. As it leaned down, Jeremiah saw the trailer behind it, something that looked like a crate on wheels.

"Indeed, well then, let us not besmirch your record by making you late to whatever engagements you have after this," said the caped man, moving away from the Knightmare, and closer to Jeremiah's transport.

"I believe, these are what you requested in payment," said the masked man suddenly, snapping his fingers, and causing the Glasgow to move away from the trailer, which blasted apart as it moved, the walls of the thing falling down to reveal a very familiar looking pod to Jeremiah. Said pod had been the object of the search that had necessitated the Shinjuku Incident. A pod that, according to Jeremiah's information contained enough toxic gas to poison a whole city.

"What?!" he said, looking at the pod, and then around at the silent crowd, loyal Britannians who, unbeknownst to them, were now the hostages of this madman, who seemed amused by the whole affair as he laughed.

"I thought this was what you wanted, Lord Jeremiah, you and Orange, isn't that right?" he asked, causing Jeremiah to wonder about the masked man's sanity.

"Tch, what is it you want, Mr…?" he asked, gesturing to the man.

"Oh, how soon you have forgotten me, Jeremiah. Still, I suppose you simply want to give me the opportunity to introduce myself," said the masked man, and moved his hand, somehow causing the camera's around Jeremiah, ones that had been focused on the prisoner, to turn towards him.

"Hear me well, Britannia, for my words are the words that come from Freedom, and ring the chimes of Justice and Truth. I am Zero, the empty man who offers all who would follow him a world better than the one we have now," as he spoke, this Zero flared out his cape, and like a great sweep of raven wings, he seemed to cast a shadow over the whole of the procession.

"Now then, if you would please honor your part of our bargain, I will be on my way," said Zero as he turned back to face Jeremiah, who just smirked at him.

"And what bargain would that be?" demanded Jeremiah.

"Ah, right, I have failed to give you the rest of your payment," and as he spoke, Zero somehow pulled an object from behind his back, something that the cape had hidden. It looked at first like a laptop, perhaps something with which to release the gas, but before Jeremiah could order his troops to do anything about that, the object was thrown at him, expertly landing right at his feet, with a latch that popped open, revealing not only that this thing was a briefcase, but that it contained money, a wealth of notes that had the face of the Emperor stamped on them.

"I added a little bit more to sweeten the pot, so why don't you hand Kururugi over to me now, and we'll both depart," offered Zero, his tone almost mocking, causing Jeremiah, who had reached down and pulled out a wad of the notes, finding them real, to growl in frustration. Rising sharply to his feet, Lord Jeremiah pointed towards Zero.

"My Knights, as I instructed!" he ordered, expecting them to do the encirclement he'd planned out for them, these were, after all, purebloods, and more than good enough to surround and pin this Zero, so they could capture him, and hopefully the pod as well.

"At once, my Lord," came a voice from one of the Sutherlands, and not one he recognized. Looking towards the unit, he was about to question who was inside, when the Knightmare reached behind him, and with the delicate touch of an expert pilot, broke the prisoner's chains, and then picked him up. The moment that was done, all six of the Knightmares that formed the Prisoner's Guard shot away, moving past Zero and down the road.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" demanded the stunned Jeremiah.

"Just following your orders, 'Lord'," said one of the other units, the last an insult if he'd ever heard one, and Jeremiah, enraged, turned his gaze on Zero, who bowed deeply to him, before being grabbed by the Glasgow, which darted off after the Sutherlands.

"All units! Stop those traitors! Recapture Kururugi!" he ordered, leaping down into the passenger's seat of the transport. As he landed though, he heard it. The sound of a cable dragging along the concrete road. Following the sound, he noticed a cord that connected to the poison gas pod, a cord that was slowly being pulled taut. Realizing, seconds too late, Jeremiah ducked down into the seat.

"Everyone, hold your breath!" he declared, expecting any moment to hear the hiss of escaping gas into the air, gas he'd been told would kill in a single breath. Of course, when the cord finally snapped to, it pulled a part of the pod away, causing it to explode like a firework, rather than a bomb, making quite the display of blinding colors, even as, everywhere around them, the city lights suddenly went dark.

"What in the?! Control, report, what just happened?" he demanded into his headset. It took far too long for an answer to come.

"Control here, the backup generators just kicked in. The power grid for the whole city just went dark, because of a command override," said a rather panicked voice in his ear.

"Checking….sir, the computers say it was your code that authorized the shutdown," said a bewildered voice, and Jeremiah's face went blank as he heard it, wondering just what the hell was going on, and how he could explain this to his superiors. Turning around, he got another shock, as at some point, the briefcase full of money, one the criminal had tossed him, and he'd been seen rifling through on live television, was now gone, and he was left to just scream impotently at the heavens, as the Knightmares reported on their inability to launch, due to their base lacking the power to open the doors for their bays.

Lelouch nearly started cackling madly as the Glasgow finally started to slow down. The fools had done it. Following his plan to the letter, they'd achieved an impossible victory, something that would be spoken of for ages to come, at least once they started writing of the rise of Zero. This was what his mind could do, with only a little help from the power he now had, in both gaining the money, and getting Jeremiah's password for the city's power grid so he could shut the whole thing down.

"That was incredible, Zero, just amazing," said Ohgi as he popped open the cockpit of the Glasgow, climbing out of the thing, and then riding the cable down so he could stand by the man who had made this victory possible. All around Zero, the stunned, elated rebels gathered. Their faces shone with delight, at both sticking into the Britannians, and saving the life of one who had been on death row.

"This victory was possible only because you are such good knights. However, the day is not truly won until I have spoken with Kururugi. Where is he?" he asked, and the other pilots, still congratulating themselves, especially because of his words, pointed towards the door to the warehouse they'd used as their staging area. Grinning underneath his mask, enjoying how easily swayed these fools were by simple words, he walked past them, shutting the door as he entered, so he could face Suzaku alone.

"Kururugi, son of the late Prime Minister, last of Japan's true leaders, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," he told the man in his prisoner's garb, a raiment that spoke of destitution and poverty of his people.

"And you're Zero, leader of the rebels who saved me," said Suzaku, as he turned. Rather than joy on his face though, as Lelouch had expected, he appeared rather somber.

"I am. It is by my will that they freed you, because that is what Zero is, it is the boundless limits of freedom," said the still masked Lelouch to his old friend, the one who had saved his life, and granted him this opportunity for power.

"Heh, freedom? You think what you did gave me freedom?" asked Suzaku, chuckling as if at some private joke.

"No, I have given you a choice. Before, you had no options, no way to prove yourself to those above you that you tried your hardest. Now, your options are greater, and your goals seem to marry closely to my own," said Zero, and Suzaku looked at him, his gaze almost venomous.

"And what do you know about my goals?!" demanded Suzaku.

"I know you want to change things, that this society, as it is now, disgusts you, because you know it can be so much more, so much better. You think that, by becoming a beacon, showing them how they can be, that you can change them. You want to work inside the rules you have been given to win the rigged game called life," responded Zero simply, and that frank description of his life seemed to bring Suzaku up short, causing the Japanese boy to just stand there, stunned.

"I admire that sort of drive, the drive that tells you to keep going against even the harshest of life's trials. I have come to a different conclusion, however," he said, grandly flinging his arm aside, so his cape caught an errant breeze from one of the broken walls of the warehouse.

"Oh, and what conclusion is that? Destroy everything? Sow chaos and reap the rewards?" mocked Suzaku.

"No, that is not the way of a knight, not the way I have chosen. I want to help the people who have been hurt, but I cannot do that from within the system that has been set up by those in power. I must work my miracles outside such bonds, and hope to light a fire within the hearts of the people themselves, not hope my own light reflects onto them," he said, and again, Suzaku's fears of why he was doing what he was doing brought his mind to a screeching halt, causing him to just dumbly stare at Zero.

"This day has been harsh for you, Suzaku Kururugi. You have seen what those in power value most of all, the appearance of their perfection, and they will use the lives of those beneath them to scrub away any blemish, even should that life be destroyed in the process. Make of such things what you will, Kururugi, but know that in my organization, there will always be a place for a man whose heart is already alight with the need for freedom," said Zero, turning around, and leaving Suzaku to stare at the door he closed behind him.

Minutes later, after most of the rebels had been sent back to their base, while others went to spread their fortune around the refugee camps, Suzaku emerged from the warehouse. In front of him were Zero, a Glasgow, and a Sutherland, all seemingly waiting around for him. Staring at the two units, he tried his best to smile at them, as if to thank them for their efforts, but the upturn of his lips never really made it, and instead he just weakly stared up at them, before turning to Zero.

"I appreciate what you did for me, Zero. Freeing me must have cost you a lot...no, I know it cost you a lot, I saw that briefcase. But it's not in me to betray my sense of duty like this. I have to go back, and even if they want to put me to death for it, I can face that future with my head held high, knowing I went out like I choose, not as someone has chosen for me," he declared, and Zero seemed to consider this for a moment, before pointing at the Sutherland.

"This unit shall take you then, to the nearest military police outpost. You may turn yourself in there. But when you find your way has failed to achieve our goals, please remember my words. a place for a night such as you will always be open in our company," he told him, and then gestured. The Sutherland, somewhat hesitantly, leaned down, offering Suzaku the palm of its hand, and then shooting off with him held tightly to its chest, to deliver the fool to what Lelouch believed would be a future he would regret.

"Are you sure we should just let him go, Zero?" asked Kallen from inside the Glasgow, having switch machines with Ohgi, allowing the other man to take Suzaku where he wanted to go.

"It is his path, Q-1, a path he has chosen. All we can do is make sure it is his choice, and not the choices of others that had set him upon it," he told her, before climbing into the Glasgow's palm, and letting the Knightmare carry him off towards an undisclosed location, where he would get a ride back to Ashford, and hopefully, allow him to make more plans in peace and quiet for a while. He'd had to use his power more against Suzaku, keeping him from hating Zero, than he had freeing the fool from Jeremiah. Yes, he could use some peace and quiet right now.


	6. Chapter 6

**I wrote the first part and the Spectacular Star Sage wrote the second part.**

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Clovis leaned up against the wall; his arms folded against his chest. He watched as the servants walk down the halls, avoiding eye contact with the prince. He sighed and looked up at the set of doors that led to the throne room. He brought a hand through his hair when the door popped open.

He could feel his heart start to race as he entered the throne room. Charles was sitting on the throne, glaring at him. Clovis knelt before him, sweeping his arms out to the side dramatically.

"Hello, father," he said. "What a fine day for a chat." The emperor grunted in response.

"You failed," he growled, snapping his fingers. A screen lit up behind him, showing a video of a metal pod. "You let the girl escape." The pod flashed and the sides opened, revealing it to be empty.

Clovis rose to his feet. "What is so important about this particular girl, father?" Clovis asked. "With no difficulty, we can attain another girl."

Charles roared, "Any girl will not qualify! It must be her!" Charles sat up in his chair; his face flushing with anger.

Clovis subconsciously took a step back, which fueled Charles rage even more so.

"But, father," Clovis interjected. His mouth was dry and he was racking his brain for a response.

"But what!" He snarled. "You couldn't even fight back against some Eleven terrorists!"

The emperor raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The screen behind him flickered in response, showing an image of a masked man atop of a Knightmare. The image flashed brightly, the light replacing it with Suzaku being scooped up by a Sutherland Knightmare.

Charles slammed his fist done against the arm rest of his chair and the screen shut off.

"Your men couldn't even keep up with terrorists." Charles pressed his hands against the arm rests and stood up. "You've lost your touch, Clovis," he said coldly.

Clovis gulped and opened his mouth to speak. He tried to think of something. Of anything.

"I will do better next time, father," was all he managed, his voice squeaky. "I won't show weakness again."

Charles stood still for a minute, registering Clovis's words. He tucked his arms behind his back and furrowed his eye brows.

"Words are cheap," he said. "I want proof."

Clovis nodded his head. "I'll recapture that girl," he promised. "As well as the eleven."

"I don't like repeating myself," Charles snapped.

Clovis willed himself to stay still and not flinch. "These words are not cheap, father. I will recapture the convicts."

"I will give you one more chance," The emperor told him. "I know I don't have to tell you what will happen if you fail."

Clovis responded, "Yes, father."

Charles raised his hand, the screen shutting off, and flicked his wrist away. "Leave."

Without a word, Clovis exited the throne room. He made sure to shut the doors quietly behind him and sighed deeply. He stood there for a moment, clutching the golden handles, as he tried to collect his thoughts. He breathed in and straightened his shoulders. With a determined stride, he walked away from the brass doors.

* * *

Lelouch slouched as he finally walked down the halls of Ashford Manor. His night had been far longer than he would have liked, and finding just the right words to influence Suzaku had exhausted his brain, the splitting headache he got from overusing his reset powers was nearly enough to drive him to bed. Still, after storing the Zero suit he'd paid almost ten million pounds for, he made his way to where a maid had told him Nunnally was. He wanted to see her now, more than ever, his reason for living, and the reason he needed his revenge.

"Nunnally, what are you still doing up at this ho-," Lelouch was stopped cold as he opened the door to the room where his sister was working on making folded bits of paper in the shape of birds. It wasn't what she was doing that stopped him, however. No, it was the woman sitting next to Nunnally, a woman with green hair, striking eyes, and a forehead that was most definitely lacking the hole he'd seen shot in it almost a week ago, just before she'd given him these amazing powers.

"Oh, Lelouch, are you finally back? I've been worried you might have gotten mixed up in that incident downtown involving that man Zero," said Nunnally, turning to him with that innocent smile on her face, while the woman sitting next to her stared at him with a blank expression that revealed nothing.

"Yes, Lelouch, it would be a shame if you got yourself mixed up in such goings on," said the woman, and Lelouch just stared at her.

"Oh yes, Ms. C.C. came to us a few hours ago. She said you and she had business to discuss," explained Nunnally.

"C.C.?" said Lelouch, staring at the green haired woman.

"Yes, such an odd name. Is she not someone you know Lelouch?" asked the innocent sister, and her not so innocent brother thought quickly on what lie to tell.

"Oh, yes, C.C. I do know her, Nun. I've just never met her in person. She represents a group that I've been working with to get us some extra spending money, and maybe help pay back the Ashford's for their generosity these last few years," he explained, trying to smile as best he could, knowing that his sister could always somehow know when he wasn't smiling, despite her blindness.

"Lulu, you're not getting involved in gambling or anything illegal are you?" asked Nunnally, stopping in mid fold on a piece of paper in her hand.

"Of course not, Nunnally. Didn't I say I'd stop that? No, this is just some investment stuff. Now why don't you go to bed. Ms. C.C. and I have a lot to talk about," he told her in his most reassuring voice, taking her hand in his, and then kissing it gently, before standing, and letting her wheel herself to bed amid the usual platitudes that came with saying goodnight.

"Investment? I suppose this is what you and I have in each other, isn't it?" said C.C. the instant the door closed behind Nunnally, turning to stare at her with the hard look in his eye, Lelouch walked over to the table, and just sighed.

"How are you here? I saw you get shot," was all he said, and that seemed to amuse the woman, who chuckled at him, before poking the place where the bullet wound was previously.

"Oh, you mean that little wound? Would you like to know how many times I've been shot like that before? Or the burning at the stake? Or perhaps that time I got the guillotine back in the old days? That last was the most painful, I will tell you," she said, a very amused expression on her face, despite the morbid subject. Somehow, desiring to test himself, Lelouch took hold of the hourglass in his mind, and with a flick of a thought, he turned it over, reversing a few seconds.

"-his is what you and I….you just used your Geass, didn't you?" she asked, stopping mid sentence on her previous statement.

"Hmm, so you can tell when I use it, but obviously it doesn't affect you the way it does me," he surmised quickly, as she didn't seem keen on smiling now, as she had those moments ago.

"What do you mean, 'it does you'? What effect does your Geass have?" she asked him, and it was his turn to chuckle and smile. He considered, briefly, not telling her, and keeping his ability a secret, but then thought of all the consequences that could bring down the line. No, she knew him, she knew he had power, and knew when he used it. If he could,he would have killed her, but seeing as how a bullet through the brain didn't do it, he doubted any method he knew of would accomplish the goal in light of all the ways she claimed to have been maimed.

"My Geass is the power of the Clock. I see an hourglass in my mind, one with tiny grains of sand representing the moments that have passed. With a thought, I can turn that hourglass over, and the grains will reverse. Not physically, sadly, but I keep my memories of the future, and I can use them to rig the game in my favor," he explained, before striking forward with his hand. Her own hands reflexively came up to block, and he quickly reversed time just one moment, allowing him to catch her wrists in a way that required either great training, or knowledge of how she would block.

"I see," she said, staring into his eyes. He slowly let her go, before walking around the table and take the seat opposite her.

"So, you said I'm an investment. I know what my goals are, but what about yourself? What do you get our of our deal?" asked the former Prince as he looked into those eyes, framed by bright green hair.

"Honestly? I doubt you would ever truly understand my end goal, but let us say in general that i desire to topple the world as it stands now, and build one that is far more fair in its place," she told him, and Lelouch, thinking on it, nodded after a moment. It wasn't exactly a definite statement of goals, but it did give him an idea of what she was after.

"My own goal is far more simple. I would have my revenge on the ones who killed my mother, and hurt my sister. I would also like to see Charles Zi Britannia prostrate before him, as I take his empire from him, and squeeze the corruption out of it," he countered, and it was her turn to nod.

"You would replace his corruption with your own then?" she asked, and Lelouch got a rather wicked grin on his face.

"Oh no, I would replace his corruption with me alone. My power is such that I could wield absolute authority. I would use that to make this world better, by force if needed, and create a paradise for myself and Nunnally. Would that vision of a world contrast so much with your own?" he asked, and C.C. seemed to tap her finger on her chin in thought, before getting a grin that was every bit the mirror of his own on her face.

"Lelouch Vi Britannia, I believe we can make our goals align, with a bit of work," she told him, standing and extending a hand across the table to him. Doing likewise, Lelouch found her grip to be powerful, the sort of grip that would be needed to help him run this world, and force it to be better than it was now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry this chapter is short, but the next one will be longer.**

 **This story is co-written with the amazing author, Star Sage! Plea go check them out, they're amazing.**

* * *

C.C. pressed her back against the headboard and hooked her arms around her shins. "You're very close with your sister," she said.

"That's not important," Lelouch replied. He didn't want to talk about his sister with C.C.. Even if she had given him the power he needed. "Let's get back to the topic at hand." Lelouch crossed the room to where she sat. He folded his arms across his chest. C.C. tsked and looked up at Lelouch. Her eyes trailed up from his shoes to his face, her gaze resting on Lelouch's eyes.

"I assume you have a plan, Lelouch," C.C. said, drawing out the last syllables of his name. She pressed her hands into the bed and spread forward onto her stomach, kicking her legs in the air.

"First," Lelouch said. His right eye flashed red - he could feel the sand dripping through the hourglass in the pit of his stomach - he sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning slightly towards her. C.C.'s eyes widened for a split second then slanted her eyes. "I need an army." C.C. rolled onto her back, picking up Lelouch's pillow with her ankles and held it tight to her chest. Lelouch pushed himself up off of the bed and walked over to the window. The sky was dark, a swirl of black and purple. "I have resources to draw upon, of course. My money is nearly limitless, and using my own connections, it is also completely untraceable," begun Lelouch, pointing towards a few briefcases in the corner of the room. Well, a few was underselling it as there were at least a dozen, all jammed full of notes sterling. "The Elevens in this area already think me a brilliant tactician, which I am, though your gift makes me even better. They'll act at my command, and with this recent victory, I don't see them moving outside of my orders," he added, a slight smirk on his face. Yes, his pawns were moving well into place. The human factor was a strong one, but he was slowly breaking it out of them.

"It sounds like you have little use for me then. Unless you want me to grant Geass to others, which I won't do, just so you know," she told him, giggling a little like it was some kind of joke, but Lelouch shook his head.

"No, such power is best kept minimal. Besides, if I trust you, that means that the power of Geass is individual, and can be almost anything. Too dangerous to have such power running around," explained the young man, toying with his helmet in his hands as he spoke. "No, what I want you to be is the face I cannot. With my features, they would never accept me as leader. They, despite what they claim, are just as capable of the prejudices of the Britannians, so I must retain the identity of Zero. You, however, could walk among them as my attache, my emissary. It would even give you freedom beyond what I could here at school," he began.

C.C. straightened her back, a small smile touching her lips. Lelouch could tell she liked what he was saying. "I would be a fool," C.C. said. "To not accept your offer."

Everything was going as planned. Lelouch sat his helmet down on his desk. Lelouch looked back at the window. The stars twinkled up high in the sky, the moon illuminating the land. Lelouch felt something hit his leg. He looked over to his bed. C.C. had taken off all of her clothes and was buried underneath his covers.

"Good night," She said, pulling the blanket up to her lips.

"What are you doing?" Lelouch asked, irritated. In one long stride, he was looming over her. C.C. narrowed her eyes, not speaking. "I said, you could stay here but not in my bed." C.C. shook her head and flipped over onto her side.

"A real man would sleep on the floor," she said, she looked at him through the corner of her eye.

"Get up-," C.C. interrupted Lelouch.

"I hate stubbornness," she said before pulling the covers over her head.


End file.
